Epiphany
by WritingwithGusto
Summary: An epiphany is a moment of sudden revelation or insight. This is the story of an epiphany that hit Cardin Winchester, and slowly shaped him into a better person. (Rated T, because I tend to have a lot violence and cursing in my stories)
1. Chapter 1

**Epiphany - A Cardin x Velvet fic**

 **Y'know what? Since Volume 5 is over, I have decided something. I want to go back to a simpler time.**

 **So, I think I will, in a sense. I am going back to an old favorite of mine: the Cardin x Velvet fics!**

 **Now, before we begin, I wanna preface, I might be re-using some ideas/OCs from 'Silent Pain', my original Cardin x Velvet fic. This is because I felt those concepts worked, but I bungled it up with my writing skills at the time. So, I kinda see this as a chance to do them right.**

 **And lastly, this will take place after season 3, so that will explain why this is taking place at a place other than Beacon.**

 **With all that out of the way, welcome to 'Epiphany'**

* * *

Cardin Winchester awoke slowly, his eyes heavy and his body rattled by pain.

He glanced around, attempting to make sense of his surroundings. Instead of the lush forest he remembered being in previously, he was greeted by a wooden ceiling that was completely unfamiliar to him.

Any logical person could figure out that waking up in a different place meant they were taken there while unconscious, but even with that question answered, there was still a lot about the situation that didn't make much sense.

 _'What happened to me...? Where am I...? Why am I not dead...? Actually, I shouldn't be questioning that last one. Being dead would be the worst.'_

Searching around the room for an answer, Cardin found nothing. He tried to call out for an answer, but before he finished his first word, it felt like a million tiny daggers in his throat. He could barely get out a syllable - much less a full sentence - if that was going to be the result.

"Don't talk, sweetie," he heard a soft voice tell him, "You wouldn't want to hurt your throat more, would you?"

Hearing this unfamiliar voice, Cardin turned his head to the left with a bit of effort, and saw a woman standing in the doorway. He was grateful for her help, and if he could have spoken, that would have been the first thing that he would have expressed.

But as he couldn't, he simply let her approach.

"You're rather lucky to have survived such a horde of Grimm." She told him as she approached, "The fact that you're still here is a miracle."

 _'Oh right... the Grimm horde.'_

If there was ever a point that Cardin could classify as a 'disgraceful showing', it was during the battle to defend Vale. He had only been able to fight off a few Beowolves before being overwhelmed, and seeing no other option, he retreated.

But his retreat had not been a good option, because it ended up getting him nearly mauled to death.

 _'So this woman saved me? Is that it?'_

He looked to the woman in question, and saw that she was approaching. With every inch that she got closer, Cardin was able to see more clearly what she looked like. She had brown hair, brown eyes, and...

 _'Rabbit ears...!?'_

Indeed, the lady who had come had a pair of rabbit ears on her head. He let this fact sink in, and realized something that left him wanting to wretch. _'Does that mean I owe something to these freaks?'_

"I suppose I should explain where you are," the woman told him, a soft smile adorning her face, "This is Scarlatina ranch. And as you can probably guess, I am Mrs. Scarlatina."

Cardin nodded to this, trying his hardest not to hint that he was unhappy even hearing her speak. If there was ever a time for him to not be an idiot, now was undoubtedly it. So, he simply smiled and nodded.

"Now, you've suffered some serious damage, but I'd like to ask you to try and stand up."

Cardin was going to ask why, but quickly remembered he couldn't. So, he complied wordlessly, attempting to get back to his feet of his own will. But the moment his feet hit the ground, they immediately gave out.

Mrs. Scarlatina tried to catch him, but it was clear that he was way too heavy for that, and ended up right on the floor. That combined with the pain that was running through him, he wanted to scream so hard, but was sure that would only make it worse.

"Ooh, this is worse than I thought!" Mrs. Scarlatina declared, slowly getting Cardin back up onto the bed of hay. "You wait here! I'll go get my daughter, and have her take a look at you."

The pitter patter of footsteps indicated to Cardin that he was alone once again, and that meant that he had a minute or two to think. He was going to need it to make sense of all of this.

The last thing Cardin remembered was leaving Beacon. He planned on going back home to Mistral, and luckily got onto one of the last airships heading that way. But the moment he landed, it was like the Grimm were attracted to him like a moth to a flame.

He remembered the pain of their claws, of the Ursa hitting him into the tree, of the Beowolves' bite. How he had even survived was beyond him.

 _'I guess I have Mrs. Scarlatina to thank for that.'_ He thought, more than a little relieved he hadn't died. _'Strange. She didn't really look like much of a Huntress. Hm... Scarlatina. Why does that name strike me as familiar?'_

"There he is, Velvet."

Cardin was pulled out his mind at that declaration, and the audible gasp that came with it. Looking over, he saw the source of the gasp, and it all clicked in the back of his mind.

 _'You have got to be kidding me!'_ He internally screamed. _'I get saved by the little freak and her parents!? That's just cruel!'_

"Do you know him, Velvet?" He heard Mrs. Scarlatina ask.

"He's a... friend from school," Velvet replied.

"I see." Mrs. Scarlatina said with a knowing smile, "Then I guess it's a good thing your father saved him."

"I guess so." She said, clearly faking a smile. "Um... mum? Do you think we could have a few minutes alone? I'm sure there is a lot I have to explain to him."

Mrs. Scarlatina nodded, and headed over to the door. "Be sure you give him a good Scarlatina welcome."

"Of course."

Mrs. Scarlatina left the room without another word, and it was just Cardin and Velvet. Alone...

 _'Okay, just relax, Cardin.'_ He tried to reassure himself. _'I doubt she is the type to hurt an injured man.'_ And even if she was, there wasn't much she could do to him that hurt more than getting mauled to near death.

"Well, how the mighty have fallen."

... Of course, he could be wrong about that.

Velvet walked over, a slight grin on her face as she looked to Cardin's weakened form. He couldn't really tell if there was any malice in her expression, but he didn't like it either way. He didn't like her looking at him with that smug grin.

"It's quite ironic, don't you think?" She continued, sitting on a hay bail, her smile never fading. "All this time you've talked down to Faunus, and now you need our help."

Cardin wanted to ask her what she was talking about, or tell her that he didn't need their help, but then he remembered a certain bit of damage that made that impossible right now. All he could really do was listen to her words.

"It's quite interesting the scenario we have here, Cardin." She continued, her tone almost teasing. "If word of what you did to me - or heck, to any Faunus at Beacon - got to my parents? Why, they'd probably kick you out faster than you could say 'freak'."

And in listening to her words, he noticed something very strange.

There was no malice in her tone. No arrogance, no spite, no hints of ill intent. In fact, she almost sounded... amused?

 _'What the hell is running through her mind?'_ He had to wonder. _'This is definitely not the Velvet I remember.'_

"Of course, that info doesn't need to go anywhere, Cardin." She said, that smile on her face almost seeming to taunt him. "You just need to promise you won't be a jerk while recovering. Then you're free to leave us 'freaks' to our own business."

It was at this moment that Cardin truly began to wonder if death WOULD have been the better option. At least then, he wouldn't be stuck here having to meet demands.

 _'Oh well, no reason to go griping about it.'_ He reminded himself. _'I guess I really don't have a choice. I'm in no position to oppose anyone right now...'_

"Wait here, and I'll get my dad to heal you as much as he can." She told him, standing back, "It won't be too much, but I'm sure he could get you to stand again."

Sucking it up and finally admitting he can't argue, he simply nodded, as she turned around and left him to his own devices.

 _'This is the worst!'_ he internally groaned, more than a little annoyed at the present situation, _'Oh, if my brother's were to find out, I'd never hear the end of it! Not only would I be the 'Runt', I'd be the 'Freak Lover'!'_

And yet, he felt...

Honestly, he wasn't sure how he felt. Other than the worry about his brothers (and potentially his father) finding out, nothing about the situation really seemed too bad. He was getting free food and a place to crash until he was back on his feet. And he did tend to heal decently fast, so at best, he'd be here a week.

 _'I think I can survive a week of this crap. I just have to not piss off anyone. I can do that.'_

But little did he know, that little mission was already a resounding failure.

* * *

 _'Ugh! I can't believe that bastard is here!'_ Velvet screamed internally, being sure not to say it aloud, lest she have her parents hear. _'Is this some kind of cruel joke!? Is the universe trying to play a prank on me!? Why does he have to be here!?'_

The more she thought on it, the more it annoyed her. Sure, teasing him about it made her feel a little better, but that didn't quell her anger. To think she would have to share her house with someone like Cardin. Someone who bullied her, Jaune, and presumably a bunch of others...

 _'Okay, okay, just relax Vel.'_ she said suddenly, trying to compose herself before she went back inside. _'Maybe it won't be so bad. Maybe he'll heal up really quick and be out of our hair before I know it.'_

It was when Velvet realized this, that she was able to calm down.

 _'Yeah, that probably is how this will turn out.'_ She reassured herself, _'He'll be a minor annoyance for a week or so, and then he'll be out of my hair forever. I can deal with that! And besides, I have something on him. If he tries anything funny, all I have to do is tell my parents, and he is out of here!'_

She nodded upon this revelation, finally having a definitive answer on how to deal with this.

"This will be one hell of a week, but I can handle it."

She looked back to the barn where the bully resided. _'But even so, I shouldn't try to make his time here any rougher than it already is. That won't solve anything.'_

Velvet knew this to be true, yet she was definitely sure that this would not be the easiest of weeks. But that doesn't change the fact that there is little she can do to change it. She'd just have to make the best of a bad situation.

"Well, if nothing else, I guess he'll remember I was a decent hostess." She joked. "And I'll remember him as that ungrateful jerk we took in for a while."

With nothing more to say, and her course of action set in her mind, Velvet walked back inside the house, and began looking for her father. Her family had noticed that she had a bit of impatience about her while searching, and it wasn't exactly like she was going to try to hide it.

She wanted this week to be over as soon as possible.

* * *

 **So? Like it? Hate it? Indifferent to it?**

 **Me personally, I think it is certainly a step up from my last excursion in the 'Cardin Redemption' department, which I ended up deleting due to dissatisfaction with it. And I honestly hope you all will like it too, because the idea has been in my head for a while, and I've spent a good amount of time planning it.**

 **But anyway, as always, read, review, all that other good stuff, and as always, I will see you next time.**


	2. Chapter 2

**So, the next chapter is ready.**

 **Now, I want to say, I am actually really happy with the positive reception this has gotten so far. I wasn't expecting such results from just the first chapter. That being said, I'm glad you guys like it, and I will make an effort to make this story to as good a quality as I can.**

 **... Actually, to be fair, I was going to do that anyway, but I'll consider it extra incentive!**

 **Also, I just want to say, these were some of my favorite reviews:**

 **ThatDragonDude - I imagined that scenario in my head, and it gave me a good laugh XD**

 **Engineer1869 - I'm glad I'm not the only one with that niche. And no worries about Cardin's struggles being majorly excessive or cruel. I'm trying for a 'slow burn' feel this time around.**

 **And with all of that out of the way, welcome to chapter two.**

* * *

Within a few minutes of Velvet leaving, an older rabbit Faunus man missing his right rabbit ear - who Cardin could reasonably deduce to be Mr. Scarlatina - entered the room, and began to work on him. After a brief few moments involving the man's hands glowing, Cardin felt as if the massive pain had been relieved.

"Stand up, boy," Mr. Scarlatina said, his tone firm, but caring, "I need to see how much damage I was able to take away."

Not really understanding, Cardin simply did as asked, trying to get back to his own two feet. The result he had been expecting was the same as before, so it's easy to imagine his shock when he found that he was able to walk again.

' _Damn, that was fast.'_ he noted, amazed at the ability the older man held. _'It still hurts, but less. That's amazing.'_ He stretched a bit, testing the full range of movement he had regained, and noted that the pain was only _slightly_ less. But it was a step in the right direction.

' _Hm… I wonder.'_

Cardin opened his mouth, intent on testing if he was still without his voice, but Mr. Scarlatina stopped him with a sudden motion. "Don't mistake my powers for more than they are," he warned. "I am not a miracle worker. The best I could do was give you back the ability to walk."

' _So I'm just stuck as a mute? Really!?'_

Mr. Scarlatina could see the annoyance visible on the younger man's face, and simply offered him a notepad and a pen. "I'm sure you have many questions, so use this," he explained, "It will make it much easier to see after you if you can at least put your thoughts on paper."

With a nod being the closest thing to a 'thanks' that Cardin offered him, he took the paper and immediately asks the question that was on his mind at the moment:

 _The hell was that power you used?_

He heard a slight chuckle from the older man, who simply responded with "They all tend to ask that. In simple terms, I can take away some pain from someone, and transfer that pain to myself. But only in extremely short bursts, which is why I couldn't give you a full repair."

 _And yet you don't look any more damaged in the slightest?_

"Trust me, when you've been in the business as long as I have, your ability to handle pain goes up a lot."

That response was to Cardin's satisfaction, and he decided not to inquire any further. He simply decided to go with it, not wanting to listen to Faunus for more time than needed. For right now, his only goal was getting settled in.

"And now that you can walk once again, follow me, boy." He heard Mr. Scarlatina tell him, gesturing him to follow, "It's time for dinner, and it would be good to have our new guest join us."

' _Well sorry, but I don't eat salads.'_

That was what he WANTED to say, but of course, he couldn't - and not just because his voice box was out of commission. With a grunt of dissatisfaction, he followed the man to the back door of the home.

It was a beautiful ranch-style house, colored a simple yet tasteful beige on its outside.

Stepping inside of the house, he saw the Scarlatina women that he had already been acquainted with, the younger sitting at the table, and the older working over in the kitchen. Without even needing to be told, Cardin decided to sit at the table, trying to get a feel for the scenario happening before him.

"So," Mrs Scarlatina said, opening the oven, "Since you're going to be our guest for a while, I think it is only proper that we feed you. Velvet, did you tell him what we're having for dinner?"

"No mum, I'll do that." She told them, faking a smile, before turning her attention back to Cardin, who was currently writing something on a notepad. After a few seconds, he put down the pen, and showed it to her.

 _Lemme take a wild guess. You're going to be eating salads and carrots._

Velvet scrunched her nose a bit in annoyance, and simply said "No, but I suppose you wouldn't realize that, now would you?" She put back on that fake smile from before, and said to her mother "Well, the good news is he is very hungry. Looks like you were right to make as much as you did."

"Oh wonderful!" Mrs. Scarlatina declared happily, "Then thanks to him and Nathan, leftovers shouldn't be an issue tonight."

"Speaking of Nathan, I'd better go get him."

Velvet went and jumped from the first floor to the second, and landed right in front of a door, before knocking on a door and waiting patiently. Within a few seconds, the door opened, and Cardin saw someone who looked rather out of place in a Faunus household.

' _So… did they take in another human?'_

Velvet and the other man ran down the stairs, and Cardin was able to get a good look at him once he had reached the table. He was the taller than any of the Scarlatinas, but still shorter than Cardin himself. He had long blonde hair and chocolate brown eyes, and was dressed in a faded reddish hoodie and jeans.

Looking nothing like the rest of the Scarlatina family, that made him think that he was another guest. But then why did he not have any wounds? Had he been here a long while?

"Allow me to introduce my son, Nathan." Mr. Scarlatina told him, breaking the silence of the situation. The young man, now introduced to be Nathan offered a simple wave, which a dumbstruck Cardin happened to notice.

' _So wait, he has been raised by animals? I guess I can rule out having anything to talk about.'_

Nathan walked to the table and sat down right across from Cardin, and within a second of their eyes locking, a glare adorned his face. Cardin was a bit taken aback by this sudden shift in mood, but chose to ignore it and respond with a glare of his own.

"Now now, you two," Velvet came between them, "Don't be at each other's throats over dinner. There is plenty of food to go around."

"They're both that hungry?" Mr. Scarlatina asked, "Well then, get 'em some food before they start eating their napkins!"

Nathan looked away from Cardin, visibly embarrassed. "Dad, you promised you wouldn't bring that up again."

Mr. Scarlatina let out a small laugh. "Don't worry, son. We've all done our share of silly things."

The sound of an oven door slamming shut brought everyone's attention to Mrs. Scarlatina. Cardin and everyone else noticed what she was carrying; a massive ham, looking like enough food to feed your average family on its own. Velvet came over to help grab the other dishes and Cardin was dumbstruck to see such a spread. It looked like a mini Thanksgiving feast.

"Something the matter?"

Cardin's attention was brought to the father of the family, who was looking at him confusedly. "You look as if this is the first time you've seen such a spread."

Cardin pulled out the notepad, and pondered on what to tell him. He most certainly wasn't going to make another comment about carrots. Towards Velvet, maybe, but considering the man was no doubt the one in charge, that would not be good. He could deny him dinner!

 _I suppose… I had just always thought Rabbit Faunus were vegetarian._

He nodded, sure this wouldn't offend them, and showed it to Mr. Scarlatina, who let out a hearty laugh at that one. "For the most part, we are," he told Cardin, "But that doesn't mean we're totally opposed to eating meat. And of course, when you're raising a human son, it tends to become a common part of your diet."

Cardin looked over to Nathan, making the connection in his mind. He supposed it made some sense. _'Humans have certain needs after all,'_ he said, _'Though I'd never expected animals to understand that.'_

The ham was placed in the middle of the table, with dishes of rice, macaroni, and salads, and biscuits placed around it, all within reach of everyone for the most part. "Well, let's not just sit around and stare!" Mrs. Scarlatina said, "Dig in!"

Within a second, both Cardin and Nathan had grabbed their knives and went to cut into the ham. They were both over it when Cardin noticed something:

Nathan had that same glare.

Neither of them moved an inch, Nathan's brown eyes practically piercing into Cardin's indigo ones. After what felt like an eternity, Nathan cut off a big chunk of ham, and sat back down, grabbing food from the other dishes.

Looking for an answer, he turned to Velvet, who simply shrugged and said "Guess I should have warned you. Nathan always has first dibs."

A raised eyebrow was his own response to this, but there was something in the back of his mind that said otherwise.

But, not wanting to push the subject, Cardin just started eating.

* * *

A while later, Cardin went outside, noting the sun setting behind the trees in the distance.

Dinner passed by slower than Cardin had liked, and all he could do was listen in on their conversations. It was rare that something actually kept his interest (especially when it came to the Faunus), but surprisingly enough, their conversations were intriguing to some degree.

But that's to be expected. He wasn't necessarily used to the idea of family talking to each other.

Seeing that these four had been so happy, so open, so… uninhibited just threw him off guard. It wasn't anything like the dinners that he was used to back home. They all talked about what they've been doing lately, what they plan on doing, and whatever else came to mind.

They seemed… close.

' _Man, that was… what's the word I'm looking for?'_ He asked himself. It was kind of hard to rationalize for him, the idea that they could seem so normal. Of course he could probably just attribute it to being 'Pack Mentality', but even so, that left some questions.

' _They had been so nice to me, and I haven't done a damn thing for them.'_

It seemed so hard to wrap his head around it. It was...

"Hey!"

Cardin looked back to the backyard, seeing Nathan looking directly at him, a spear in his left hand. It took him a moment to realize that Nathan was talking to him directly, and he had even looked around, wondering if anyone else was there.

"Cardin, right?" Nathan asked, gesturing for the taller teen to come closer. "I have something I need to talk to you about."

Begrudgingly, Cardin sauntered over, until he was finally right in front of Nathan, and looked at him questioningly.

"From what Velvet has told me," the younger man continued, "You were a student of Beacon Academy." He then began to practice with his spear a bit, looking to be completely ignoring Cardin; something that most certainly bugged him.

' _Though I'll give him this. He looks to have some good form.'_

"I'm in Sanctum, myself," Nathan continued, practicing different techniques, all of which were done with great finesse, "My sister was the one who inspired me to go for it."

 _You mean Velvet?_

"Indeed." Nathan told him, in response to the question on the notepad. "She means the world to me..."

Suddenly, as Nathan lunged outward with his spear, he brought himself back to standing position, and looked to Cardin.

"And as such, when I find out she's been bullied by this big ginger in a suit of armor," He started, his smile almost taunting. "You can imagine what I'm feeling when I find out he's going to be staying with us."

Cardin's eyes widened in shock, as Nathan seemed a bit more imposing with this information out in the open.

"In case you're thinking about it," Nathan practically taunted, "Don't even bother trying to feign innocence. I can see it in your eyes." In an instant, Nathan spun his spear around, before pointing its head right at Cardin's neck.

"I will get right to the point," Nathan told him, a slight smile at the pun he had made, before returning to dead seriousness, "If you do something to my sister, and I find out about it, how my parents react will be the least of your worries."

Cardin felt a sudden shaking. Was he trembling right now? Was this stocky blonde actually making him afraid?

' _No, no. It can't be.'_ he rationalized, _'It's just… cold out! Yeah, that's it.'_

"Just remember that Cardin, and we won't have any issues." Nathan continued, moving the spear away from the taller man, "After all, I'd hate to see you leave more broken than when you started."

Without another word, Nathan began to walk away, leaving behind a dumbstruck Cardin.

Speaking of which, Cardin himself was absolutely unable to believe what just happened. _'H-he knows about who I am?'_ he questioned, finding the thought of being found out and threatened making his mind race and his head spin.

' _But… HOW!? How did he find out!? There is no one here who knows that, except...'_

The realization dawned upon Cardin, and he was 100 percent certain he knew what had happened. There was only one person here who could have conceivably told him what happened.

' _So, she's that afraid of me, that she's trying to hide behind her brother! Figures the animal can't fight her own battles!'_

Cardin threw up his arms in annoyance, mad that he had to deal with _that_ along with everything else that has gone down. It's as if the universe was trying to make his time here as horrible as possible!

' _I guess Karma really is a stone-cold bitch...'_ He said, looking down to his feet, and clenching his fists in anger. _'I can't catch a goddamn break lately! First the Grimm attack, now I'm getting some stupid freak's brother all up in my face!'_

If this was some sort of cruel joke on the universe's part, Cardin most certainly didn't find it funny. It irritated him to think that he couldn't even have a moment of reprieve, even when he was miles of home.

' _Ugh… whatever! I swear, I'd better be out of here within the week, or I am going to scream! I don't care if it destroys my goddamn throat!'_

After a few seconds of calming himself, Cardin noticed he was alone in the backyard, and that the sun was about to set completely. Without a reason to keep being angry, or even something that could do with his time, he opted to instead go back inside the house.

When he entered in, he saw Mrs. Scarlatina, carrying sheets over to their sofa.

"Ah, excellent timing." She told Cardin, placing the sheets down, "I gathered some sheets for you. Unfortunately we don't have enough beds around here, so you'll have to use the couch. Is that alright?"

With a defeated sigh, Cardin simply nodded. In all honesty, he didn't care where he was sleeping. Anything was better than having to stay in a barn.

"Well, I hope your first day here was good, sweetie." Mrs. Scarlatina said, "You should get your rest. I'm certain you will want it after the day you've had."

Cardin was handed the sheets, and she turned toward the TV set. Placing the remote on the coffee table, she looked back to Cardin with a smile. "Feel free to watch some TV before you go to bed. Our only rules are don't have it too loud and don't go past 10 o'clock. Okay?"

 _I got you._

"Ok then. See you tomorrow."

Without another word, Mrs. Scarlatina jumped to the next floor without a word, and headed through a door. He was alone again, with a couch and a TV, and nothing better to do but see what is on.

So, he simply took the remote, turned on the TV, and searched through their limited channel list for something at least mildly entertaining. Eventually, he settled on this Faunus movie called 'The Stars Crossing'.

And lacking anything else to do, Cardin watched...

* * *

 **So, this next chapter is one I think worked pretty well. I'm trying to start out with small things that force Cardin to think, as I'd like to give Cardin a little reprieve from physical work at the moment, before throwing him straight into the fire. After all, I did start this out with the aftermath of a Grimm attack.**

 **I'm personally pretty happy with it, and if you guys have an opinion on it, feel free to tell me. As I've always said, read, review, all that good stuff. And as always, any constructive criticisms are greatly appreciated.**

 **Until next time.**


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